The present invention relates to borderless emblems and methods of making borderless emblems and, in particular, to borderless emblems for securing to a first fabric using at least one of heat and pressure, the emblems having an embroidered, sublimated, or printed emblem design on a fabric base with no border around the outer peripheral edge and methods of making such emblems.
In general, embroidered emblems and methods for making embroidered emblems are well known in the art. Particular embroidered emblems and methods of making such embroidered emblems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,657,060 entitled “Embroidered Emblem with Thermoplastic Adhesive” and 3,816,211 entitled “Method for Making Embroidered Emblem” both of which are owned by the assignee of the present application. These two related patents disclose an embroidered emblem 110 of the type shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the present application and which comprises a fabric base 112 with an embroidered design 114, including an embroidered or Merrow border 114a extending around the outer peripheral edge on at least a front or first principal surface 116 of the fabric base 112. The border 114a was desirable to visually frame the embroidered design 114 and to prevent undesirable unraveling or fraying of the threads that form the fabric base 112. A layer of a thermoplastic adhesive material 118 is laminated or bonded to the rear or second principal surface 120 of the fabric base 112. In this manner, the embroidered emblem 110 can be conveniently secured or fastened to a garment, hat or other fabric surface, (referred to herein as a “first fabric”) through the application of at least one of heat and pressure to melt the thermoplastic material 118 and thereby bond the fabric base 112 to the first fabric such as a garment, hat or other fabric surface. A similar emblem and method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,742. The subject matter of each of the three above-mentioned patents is hereby incorporated by reference into the present application.
The above described emblems are usually made by first embroidering an emblem design 114 and preferably multiple spaced apart embroidered designs 114, onto a sheet of knit or woven fabric (not shown), adding the layer of thermoplastic adhesive material and then die cutting the fabric, preferably using a die cutter or other cutter equipment or mechanical device of a type well known in the art, to form the individual fabric base 112 for each emblem. In a commercial embodiment (not shown) a layer of non-woven textile (not shown), preferably a polyester, is bonded or laminated to the exposed surface of the layer of thermoplastic adhesive material 118 and a second layer of thermoplastic adhesive material (not shown) is then bonded or laminated to the exposed surface of the non-woven layer preferably before the fabric base 112 is cut from the fabric sheet to provide added stiffness and stability to the resulting emblem. Standard die cutting or other such cutting equipment (not shown) is adequate to cut out the fabric base 112 of each of the emblems from the fabric sheet if the fabric base 112 has a regular polygonal shape, such as a circular shape (FIG. 1) or a generally rectangular shape (FIG. 3). However, if the shape of the fabric base 112 is irregular, such as a map of the United States (not shown), the fabric base is cut from the fabric sheet by hand, using, for example, a pair of scissors. A hand operated heating device referred to as a “hot knife” may be used to heat and fuse a small portion of the polyester around the peripheral edge of the fabric base before the Merrow border is added to finish the emblem. A hot knife is essentially a standard hand held soldering iron having a fine point and a beveled edge at the tip. The tip of the soldering iron is heated to a temperature sufficiently high to melt a small portion of the polyester near the peripheral edge of the fabric base.
While the emblems disclosed in the three above-mentioned patents are quite acceptable and while the methods disclosed in the above-referenced patents are quite useful in manufacturing such emblems, there was a need for an emblem which provides an enhanced appearance when secured to a garment or other fabric. In particular, there was a need for an embroidered emblem which has a fabric base which is the same as or substantially the same as the fabric of the first fabric (garment, hat or other fabric) to which the emblem was to be secured so that when the embroidered emblem was secured to the first fabric, the fabric base of the emblem blends or fades in with the surface of the first fabric so that it appears as though the embroidered design was embroidered onto the first fabric (garment, hat or other fabric). For example, in some industries in which employees wear uniforms, the uniforms may have one or more embroidered emblems such as a company logo or employee name applied to the uniform shirt or jacket. Typically the names or other personalized information of the employees are embroidered onto the uniform shirt or jacket to provide a cleaner, neater appearance. Embroidery of an employee name to a garment in this manner adds substantial expense to the cost of the garment and, because removal of such embroidery is not feasible, precludes the garment from being re-used by another employee when the named employee leaves the company.
In addition, numerous manufacturers have previously produced and sold emblems that have an embroidered, Merrow, or stitched border extending around an outer periphery thereof. Such manufactures include Penn Emblem Company (the assignee of the present application), Ensign Emblem Ltd. and World Emblem International, Inc. At least some of these emblems previously produced, such as the CHECKMARK emblem, where made using a fabric base having the same or substantially the same color as the fabric (garment, hat or other fabric) to which the emblems were secured. Other prior art emblems, such as the H-1 and H-2 emblems sold to or for NIXON, appear to have a fabric base made of 100% polyester, white fabric and that may have been applied to a white garment such that at least the colors were the same or substantially the same. However, each of the above prior art emblems included a relatively thick or wide border around an outer periphery of the emblem. While certain of these emblems may have included a border at least slightly smaller or thinner than a conventional Merrow border, each of these borders were quite visible or noticeable when the emblem was secured to a fabric (garment, hat or other fabric), despite the fact that the colors were the same or substantially the same.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,467,593 (“the '593 patent”) entitled “Embroidered Emblem for Securing to a First Fabric” (owned by the assignee of the present application and incorporated herein by reference) discloses an embroidered emblem 210 (shown in FIGS. 3-5) which like the above described prior art embroidered emblem 110 includes a fabric base 212 having a front or first principal surface 216 and a rear or second principal surface 220, an embroidered design 214, including a border 214a, stitched or embroidered into at least the front surface 216 of the fabric base 212 and a layer of thermoplastic adhesive material 218 laminated or bonded to the rear surface 220 of the fabric base 212 for securing the emblem 210 to the fabric 230 of a garment or other article. Unlike the above described prior art embroidered emblem 110, the embroidered emblem 210 of the '593 patent includes a fabric base 212 which is made of the same or substantially the same material as the fabric 230 (referred to as the “first fabric”) of the shirt, jacket, hat or other garment or article to which the emblem 210 is to be attached. Preferably, the fabric base 212 of the embroidered emblem 210 at least includes the same or substantially the same weave pattern and color as the first fabric 230 so that when the emblem 210 is secured to the first fabric 230 (FIG. 5) with the weave pattern of the fabric base 212 oriented in the same manner as the weave pattern of the first fabric 230, the fabric base 212 of the emblem 210 blends in with or fades into the first fabric 230 so that the fabric base 212 of the emblem 210 is nearly invisible and the embroidered emblem design 114 appears to have been applied to the first fabric 230.
There is also a substantial difference in the border 214a disclosed in the '593 patent as compared to the above described prior art embroidered emblem 110. With the above described prior art embroidered emblem 110, the embroidered border 114a, which is located around the outer or peripheral edge of the fabric base 112, is typically made at the same time as the remainder of the embroidered design 114 using the same needle, and a yarn color (typically a color used in the embroidered design) which typically contrasts with the color of the fabric base 112 and is of a substantial thickness and/or width which corresponds to the thickness or width of the remainder of the embroidered design (see 114a of FIGS. 1 and 2 of the present application). In this manner, the border 114a serves as a frame to surround and highlight the fabric base 112 and the remainder of the embroidered design 114. In contrast, with the emblem 210 of the '593 patent, the stitched border 214a is made using a relatively small sized (i.e., gauge) embroidery needle. The yarn used to make the border 214a is relatively thin (i.e., cross-sectional area) and is the same or substantially the same color as the color of the fabric base 212 and the first fabric 230 to which the emblem 210 is to be attached. In this manner, when the emblem 210 is secured to the garment or other article (see FIG. 5), the much smaller sized border 214a fades into the fabric base 212 and the first fabric 230 of the garment or other article so that the border 214a is nearly invisible thus helping to give the appearance that the embroidered emblem design 214 has been directly sewn into or applied to the first fabric 230 and not onto a separate emblem.
The present invention provides an emblem which includes many of the features of the embroidered emblem 210 of the '593 patent. However, unlike the above described prior art emblems 110, 210, an emblem in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention does not include an embroidered, Merrow or stitched border or any other kind of border extending around the outer or peripheral edge of the fabric base. Instead, the fabric base of the emblem is preferably cut from a fabric sheet using a computer controlled laser cutter that simultaneously heats and fuses the peripheral edge of the fabric base. In this manner, an emblem made in accordance with the present invention, when applied to a garment or other article provides the appearance of the emblem design having been applied onto the garment or other article but is much easier to apply to the garment and can be conveniently and completely removed from the garment to permit re-use of the garment and the emblem. A borderless emblem in accordance with the present invention is also less expensive and easier to produce than an emblem which includes an embroidered or stitched border.